As kids we were always forced to eat right…and now that we wishfully want to do so, our social circuit kind of goes against it. This blog is created to make all those fitness freaks realise that they are not alone in this battle. Read On for some relatable articles and some doable diets.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

A couple of days back, I met this lady, by the looks of whom one could clearly make out a typical day in her life. i am talking about the breed who have filthy rich spouses, have never done anything productive in life yet wear nothing less than solitaires and Swaroskis', do nothing at home except keep a track of Page 3 and arrange kitty Parties to show off their husband's money... (guess i should stop before my jealousy starts shouting loud and clear).The moment she came to know that i am a nutritionist, I was bombarded with questions and queries of all sorts. (like any other time when people 1st meet me..maybe I should write about those experiences too) All I could hear was 'what if...', 'how to..', 'Do I..' and so on..

Anyways, from all the clutter and confusion, what I could figure out was that she wanted to avoid the amount of junk she was consuming through all the colas and cocktails. She rightly pointed out that when we go out for parties, unhealthy food can be avoided..there are lot of choices but what about drinks? we just can't say no to a round of drinks.

This is just one situation and I am sure lot of us face it at some point of time where we have to choose between saying no or upsetting people.Well my answer is simple.Go for Coconut water!
Its refreshing, healthy, trendy and a beverage with calories as close to plain water!
Let me explain.Coconut water contains organic compounds possessing healthy growth promoting properties that have known to :

Keep the body cool and at the right temperature (hence also suggested during a fever)

Orally rehydrate your body.

Raise your metabolism (hence weight management)

Boost your immune system.

Balance the Ph in your body and prevent cancer.

detoxify and fight viruses

Cleanse the digestive tract.

Naturally replenish the body tissues after exercise.

Control Diabetes.

Boost poor circulation.

It is Tasty!!

(I guess you won't be in a doubt again Ms.Page 3.)

Interesting fact about coconut: The English name coconut 1st mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from a Spanish and Portuguese word 'coco' which means 'Monkey Face'

Thursday, June 3, 2010

For me it was like love at first sight, I knew that this is the one for me the moment i saw it; and from then on there is no looking back I don't remember how old I was when I fel in love, but I do know that I was very young to understand things like love or attraction. Like every other indian mother, my mother too was very concerned with my growing fondness at such an early age. Their were logical concerns, but somehow these things never bothered me. I guess true love is blind and knows no boundaries.

I am talking about my love with TEA! Seriously I was stoo young when i started having it and I remember how people bad mouthed it all the time, saying that it has negative effects on health and stuff like that. I was too young to say anything that time, but now that I am all grown up, sensible and capable of defending in this case my love I would not leave any stone unturned!

1st of all Women who drink three cups of tea a day may be protecting themselves against heart attacks and strokes. They are less likely to have plaques - dangerous build-ups of fat and cholesterol - in their arteries, researchers found. Only around one third of women who drank three or more cups of tea a day had plaques in a neck artery, compared with almost half of those who drank no tea.there goes my 1st defence.2ndly contrary to popular belief that drinking tea weakens your teeth, the flouride present in tea actually helps you to strenghten your teeth and protects from plague and brittle teeth.3rdly teas like green and white tea , contain a very good amount of polyphenols which are very good antioxidants-which means good bye wrinklles cancer and CV diseases.4thly tea contains very less of caffeine (which dehydrates the body) as compared to coffee. Another reason to pick up a cup of tea rather than that big mug of coffee.
I believe I have defende my love sufficiently enough. But yes this does'nt mean that you go overboard with it and keep drinking tea all day long. Obsession with anything can be fatal too.
So cheers to tea

Monday, May 17, 2010

Sleeping an extra hour a night could help a person drop 14 pounds in a year, according to a University of Michigan researcher. The scenario shows that when sleep replaces idle activities – and the usual mindless snacking – you can effortlessly cut calories by 6%. Results would vary for each person, but sleep may help in another way, too. There’s evidence that getting too little sleep revs up your appetite, making you uncommonly hungry.

2.Serve More, Eat More Veggies:
Serve three vegetables with dinner tonight, instead of just one, and you’ll eat more without really trying. Greater variety tricks people into eating more food – and eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to lose weight. The high fiber and water content fills you up with fewer calories. Cook them without added fat. And season with lemon juice and herbs rather than drowning their goodness in high-fat sauces or dressings.

3.Time Your Meals:
Set a timer for 20 minutes and reinvent yourself as a slow eater. This is one of the top habits for slimming down without a complicated diet plan. Savor each bite and make it last until the bell chimes. Paced meals offer great pleasure from smaller portions and trigger the body’s fullness hormones. Wolfing your food down in a hurry blocks those signals and causes overeating.

4.Sip Smart: Go for Green Tea:
Drinking green tea may also be a good weight loss strategy. Some studies suggest that it can rev up the body's calorie-burning engine temporarily, possibly through the action of phytochemicals called catechins. At the very least, you’ll get a refreshing drink without tons of calories.

5.Chew Strong Mint Gum:
Chew sugarless gum with a strong flavor when you're at risk for a snack attack. Making dinner after work, at a party, watching TV, or surfing the Internet are a few dangerous scenarios for mindless snacking. Gum with a big flavor punch overpowers other foods so they don’t taste good.

Its time now that you chose the smarter way rather than the harder way!:)

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Myths about hangovers are as varied and as fanciful as the cocktails that cause the dreaded syndrome. From eating pasta at bedtime to popping prickly pear pills, the list of supposed hangover cures warrants a closer look.

Here are some of the most common myths related to hangover and the sctual Facts behind:

Myth 1: Hangovers are no Big Deal!Fact:A hangover is the body’s reaction to being poisoned with too much alcohol. Heavy drinking rocks the central nervous system. It tinkers with brain chemicals -- leading to headache, dizziness, and nausea -- and sends you running to the bathroom so often you become dehydrated. The morning-after price of this imbalance can include a pounding headache, fatigue, cotton mouth, queasy stomach – and a weakened immune system.

Myth 2: Hangovers are neutral towards genders!

Fact:Use caution when enjoying those free drinks on Ladies’ Night. Given the same drinks, women are more likely to be slammed with the effects of alcohol than men. Scientists say there’s good reason for this. Men have a higher percentage of water in their bodies, which helps dilute the alcohol they consume. When women drink the same amount, more alcohol builds up in the bloodstream.

MYTH 3: Only Bingers Get Hangovers!FACT: While it’s true that binge drinking could speed your way to a hangover, you don’t have to get wasted to pay a price the next morning. Depending on your body composition, just a couple of drinks can trigger a headache and other hangover symptoms. Having water or a nonalcoholic drink between each beer or hard drink can help keep you hydrated and reduce the overall amount of alcohol you consume.

MYTH 4: Eat Pasta Before Bed!
FACT: This one is wrong on two counts. First, eating at bedtime (after you’re already drunk) is no help. Food has to be in your stomach before Happy Hour to have any impact. Second, while any food can slow the body’s absorption of alcohol, fat does it best. So go for steak or pizza before your first martini, and you might escape a hangover. One bedtime tip that does help – drink water to fight dehydration.

MYTH 5: Coffee is the Cure!FACT: Coffee leads to more dehydration and could make your hangover worse. After a night of drunkenness, it’s best to avoid anything with caffeine. Instead, sip water and sports drinks to counter dehydration and replace lost electrolytes. This is especially important if you experienced any vomiting.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Have you ever felt like you were addicted to certain foods? You know the feeling. You pop a candy in your mouth and you’re off and running on a binge. You can’t have just one chip or a serving of ice cream. One taste and you eat a mountain of it. Or, you’re doing really well on your healthier lifestyle journey and then one day you decide to stray a bit. Perhaps you’re stressed out or maybe you thought “Hey, I’ve been doing really well and I feel like taking a ‘vacation day’ from my program and eat whatever I like.” And then you have that piece of cake or cookie and even after gulping down everything in sight, it’s still not enough.
Here’s the good news. You’re not crazy. You could be addicted. You may actually be a junk food junkie!
You’ll probably also notice that it’s never tuna on a bed of greens or oatmeal that gets you going. Instead, it is as the science has shown, refined sugars, high fats as well as processed foods that will set you off into an addictive compulsive eating craze. Here are some tips to help you navigate the treacherous waters of addictive eating:
1. Make a list of any foods that lead to overeating and/or binging. You know what they are. Some of you are sweet eaters, others like starches, and still others have problems with both. Sit down and write them out. Be aware and keep these foods out of your house and stay away from them at restaurants and social gatherings.

2. Do not fall for the “just one little bite” lie. It’s like an alcoholic saying “just one little drink” or a drug addict’s “just one hit” rationalizing. Don’t try it. You’ll lose every time. If it’s an addictive food, you’re having even a small amount may awaken the beast and set you off into a regrettable binge.

3. Get the right attitude. You’re not being deprived of a tasty delight. You’re saving yourself from a shame and guilt-filled binge, and all those extra pounds of body fat.

4. Summon a support team. If you’re really having issues with these foods, then put together your own A-Team. You can draw upon people who show compassion and want to support your efforts to withdraw from these foods. Family, friends, expert counselors, medical and fitness professionals, dietitians and groups like Overeaters Anonymous, may be good resources.

5. Be patient and persistent. You need to give your body enough time to adapt and adjust to healthier foods. Even the rats needed 2 weeks to get over their food strike! Keep plenty of fresh produce and lean protein around and plan your meals and snacks so you’re not left in the lurch with only the addictive stuff to choose. You can do this!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

A healthy 14-year-old girl in the United Kingdom suffered a fracture in her right foot when she fell off a Wii Fit balance board, says a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Highly popular Wii interactive games allow players to participate physically in games and sporting events, and not just with their fingers or by moving their hands and arms to swing virtual sports equipment like tennis racquets.

A Wii Fit balance board replaces handheld controls with a pressure-sensitive board about 2 inches off the ground that lets the user try to improve balance. The little device, which resembles a skateboard, allows players to control movements on-screen via balancing movements, twists, and turns.

It’s been touted as another health-promoting Wii game that forces people off couches and into action that burns calories.

But sometimes such play can cause problems, Karen Eley of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust in Oxford, England, writes in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Other reported Wii-associated injuries have included traumatic hemothorax (from a fall while playing), dislocations, and head injuries (from being struck accidentally by a gaming partner).” A hemothorax is a collection of blood in the space between the chest wall and the lung.

Eley writes that “Nintendinitis” was described in 1990 in a patient with pain in a thumb tendon after five hours of playing a video game. And after the introduction of Wii, Eley says, clinicians started to see patients with what they called "Wiiitis.”

A study published in October 2009 suggested that 12% of young video game players have finger pain, enough to limit gaming time; and 10% have wrist pain.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Size zero, size zero, size zero...seems to be the buzz word everywhere, whether its the bollywood beauty Kareena Kapoor who just got famous because of it, or Louise Redknapp who dieted till she starved to get into a size zero! The fad is spreading out fast ( or maybe I am a liltle wrong at saying 'spreading' because it has already spread and is now killing people around!)

I am sure by now everyone knows about the size zero; and even those who prefer to remain untouched by the 'health world terms' have a fair idea as to what it is..thanks to our celebraties. So I really won't bother to talk about that here.What really amuses me is that how fast people get carried away by such fads and become desperate to achieve a phsique like their much hyped celeb idols!I have come across various perfectly healthy people come up to me and beg and plead to shell out the secret of getting into a size '0', and i find myself a little 'word deficient' when I want to tell them thatYou are mad! It's plain stupid, I would say to, to want to achieve something worse when you already have the best.Celebs, I can still understand, not because it is harmless for them but because -a. They have a cut throat competition around and being a good actor is just not enough.b. They do not have to travel in rush hour by trains, or do any laborious work- they have helpers for everything.c. It works as a free and the best PR tool for them; and finallyd. They get paid for it !

So it's irrelevant for the common realistic people to even want to achieve such insensible aims in life! It will only leave them struggling with food and exercise, or impatient, or depressed or in worst case fatter if you succumb to binging! We also hear news about celebs suffering anorexia nervosa and bulimia due to the killing competition, yet this evil doesn't seem to drill in our heads. We only like to be associated with the more socially appealing and acceptable ways.

We have better things to do in life than being stick things and looking like hangers in the wardrobe.Why don't we aim for more realistic and achievable things like eating healthy and staying fit, by simple everyday measure of keeping a check on our diet and making sure that include little bit of exercise in our schedule.So forget the size zero, the curves are back ladies...ask any man and he would second me!

Friday, February 5, 2010

When it come to clothes and dressing up, I love to be in fashion always..no matter what.But there are some things where I love to be the plain old traditional me. Take food for example.Everybody seems to talking about what's new and what is fashionable in the 'dieting' department. I somehow managed to escape the mad race and stick to my simple four square meal comprising of freshly grown veggies and pulses. (since I was born and bought up in a small town, we had the privilege of growing food in our kitchen garden and eating them fresh!) I always believed what my mother and my granny used to say,"fashion is a cycle. You think our style is outdated?well you would be raving about it in the future!"

Now when I hear the word organic food these , my mother's words ring in my ear, for organic food is nothing but the pure fresh clean food the oldies used to eat. In organic production, the use of conventional non-organic pesticides, insecticides and herbicides is greatly restricted and saved as a last resort.For the vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described as organic; only during the 20th century was a large supply of new synthetic chemicals introduced to the food supply.

Its good to eat organic food no doubt about that as you are saved from eating all the other harmful pesticides and chemical which can lead to diseases like cancer and other digestive tract related diseases.Going organic is good for you and the Earth, but if you can't always afford it -- since organic can cost 50%-100% more , I suggest spend most of your organic food money on foods you eat most often.eg:

Apples: most of the pesticides are on the pel so a good scrubing under water can make your regular apple near to organic.

Bell peppers and celery are among the "dirty dozen" with higher pesticide residues. In fact, in 2004 the USDA Pesticide Data Program found 49 pesticide residues on sweet bell peppers.

Strawberries and cherries are a great source of vitamin C. And while buying organic berries may give you a lot of bang for your organic buck.

Grapes:Consider buying organic grapes for children and if you're pregnant. If buying conventionally grown, wash them well before consuming.

Potatoes: Potatoes are a good organic purchase -- especially since most conventional potatoes are pesticide intensive crops.

Milk:Cows raised on conventional farms are often given recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to increase the amount of milk they produce. Does rBGH pose a health hazard to humans? Scientists don’t agree. But if you have an infant or child who drinks milk, consider taking precaution and choosing rBGH-free or organic.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Sinful- is how women have always described chocolate!But despite this, about 99% of all women love chocolate.Ever wondered, what is it about chocolate that it is so wonderful? Its wonderful taste aside, chocolate contains phenylethylamine - the same chemical that is released in your brain when you fall in love; leading to that increase in the pounding of your heart, feeling of a sudden gush of excitement. “Love Chemical” is what some would call it. It is also believed by researcher that phenylethylamine in turn causes the brain to release mesolimbic dopamine in the pleasure centers of the brain.Nevertheless, the sweetness from chocolate also triggers the release of endorphins.The blissful feeling that you feel after eating that big bar is because of this endorphins.Perhaps that is why some women actually remarked that they felt a feeling of elation when eating chocolate.Well, a perfect gift for your love, chocolate will be. Just like buying roses during Valentine’s Day, chocolate can never go wrong. In fact, the both could be the best combination ever. Incidently, roses also contain the “Love Chemical”, Phenylethylamine. That also explains for its distinct scent.Also for those who still feel its a sin here are some more facts-•Chocolate doesn’t have the teeth-rotting propensities of other sweets.•Cocoa in chocolate contains high amount of antioxidants-great for your skin and heart.•And lastly, its proved that women who eat more chocolates have better love life!

One tip though;try and eat more of dark chocolates.....the bitter the better!